Istanbul Summit

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At the Istanbul Summit, OSCE Heads of State or Government adopted three important documents: the Charter for European Security, the Agreement on Adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the Istanbul Summit Declaration.

The Charter for European Security aims to strengthen the Organization's ability to prevent conflicts, settle them and rehabilitate societies ravaged by war and conflict.

The participating States committed themselves to develop the OSCE's role in peace keeping operations, to create Rapid Expert Assistance and Co-operation Teams and to expand OSCE policing activities. They agreed to intensify co-operation with other international organizations through a new instrument called the Platform for Co-operative Security.

In the Istanbul Summit Declaration, States agreed to intensify efforts to prevent conflicts in the OSCE area and to resolve existing conflicts peacefully. They also reaffirmed the human dimension as one of the principle areas of responsibility for the Organization.

The Agreement on Adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces reflects the post-Cold War realities in the 1990 Treaty, reducing armaments in Europe by another 10 per cent.